An Introspective “View” on 2025

Inspiration, Motivation, Wednesday Wisdom for 2025

It couldn’t have been greyer and drearier weatherwise to begin a new year. Was the climate a sign of things to come in 2025?

I brushed away the doubt, pulled on my running pants, rainproof jacket, sunglasses (to protect my contact lenses), and sneakers, and headed for a two-mile run. The weather wouldn’t stop me on the first day of the year, training for an April marathon.

As I suspected, there were other hearty runners at my favorite course. I saw a group of 20 women in tutus running together, an interracial couple, and a few single runners like me. Each person either waved or wished a “Happy New Year,” making the grey day lighter.

Midway through my run, my sunglasses were so speckled with raindrops and fog from overheating that I could not see anything. Should I take my sunglasses off so I can see where I’m going? I wondered. I rejected the notion, knowing I knew the straight, flat path and also wondering what it was like to be a blind runner.

In 2017, when I ran the Boston Marathon, I passed a blind runner and her coach on Heartbreak Hill. He was leading her onward. I thought it was amazing to witness. That memory inspired me to finish my Boston run and today’s training run. “If she can run blind, I can too,” I heard myself say out loud.

As I ran steadily in the fog and blinded by the raindrops on my glasses, I thanked God for being an able-bodied, strong woman who could take my glasses off and see better at any time. I didn’t need a coach or seeing-eye-dog to guide me or a stick; I was blessed with sight, although I was hampered by purpose during the run. As I try every sport once in my lifetime, I decided today to try some para-sports if I can find anyone to take me along with them and not be offended by my interest.

With a new bright road ahead, there is so much to appreciate, so why not shine some light in your life on what it is like to not be as blessed as others? What could that resolution truly do for your spirit and soul? I hope you join me by doing something this different and sharing the lessons you glean.